AGP criticises Congress over compensation to Kakopathar victims

Guwahati, Mar 28 (UNI) The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today alleged that the state government's announcement of ex-gratia to the kin of the victims, killed in Kakopathar last month, was in violation of the model code of conduct and warned the Congress not to polticise the issue.

The order, issued by the Under Secretary of the State Relief and Rehabilitation department to the Tinsukia District Commissioner yesterday, sanctioned Rs 24 lakh (Rs three lakh each person) for the next of kin of the eight people who were killed in Kakopathar on February 10.

Addressing a press meet at the party headquarters here, AGP spokesperson Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee said the subject of the order mentioned that the relief was for the family of the ''persons, killed by extremists, while the body of the order read persons killed in Kakopathar police firing''.

Highlighting contradiction in the order, Mr Bhattacharjee alleged that it bore an ample testimony to the fact that the state government was a ''government of extremists''.

He said, '' When the government calls its own security personnel extremists, it only proves that it itself is an extremist. '' The main Opposition party in the state warned the Congress not to use the Kakopathar incident for political gains. The spokesperson said, '' We have not referred to the incident in our campaign and want the Congress to refrain from using it to gain political mileage. '' He said, '' We are happy at the last moment that the Congress had good sense to pay compensation to the victims. '' On the All Assam Students' Union's deadline of today for clarification of all political parties stand on secret killings, Mr Bhattacharjee said, '' The AGP's stand on the issue remains clear and unchanged. We want the guilty to be brought to book. '' The party also released a white paper on the Congress's alleged anti-Muslim activities in the presence of minority cell secretary Anwar Hussain.

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